WCAG 2.0 · Level A · Operable
2.4.3 Focus Order
When sequential navigation is available and its order affects meaning or operation, focusable components must receive focus in an order that preserves both. More than one logical order can satisfy the criterion; it does not always have to match the visual layout exactly.
Manual verification
How to validate 2.4.3 by hand
Follow keyboard focus through each task and determine whether its order preserves meaning and operability.
Start with the extension result
Reopen the reported URL and reproduce the same state (for example, after expanding a menu or submitting a form). Use the result’s Highlight action when available, or its affected-element details and CSS selector, to find the reported content. Apply the checks below to that content and its context. If the element or state has changed, rescan and record that difference before deciding whether the finding still applies.
- Start at the beginning of the page and tab through links, controls, menus, dialogs, and dynamically revealed content.
- Compare the focus sequence with the visual and task sequence, including when components open, close, or update.
- Complete representative tasks and check that focus does not jump in a way that makes meaning or operation confusing.
Evidence to record
Record the ordered focus targets, the user task, and the transition that causes a confusing or unusable sequence.
Scope and exceptions
Focus order need not duplicate visual order exactly when meaning and operation remain understandable. Evaluate functional sequence, not aesthetic preference.
Record the review outcome
- Confirmed: the recorded evidence shows the requirement is not met in the tested page state, and no applicable exception explains it.
- Not reproduced: the reported issue is absent in the current state. Record the URL, state, and affected element you checked; this does not prove other pages or states conform.
- Needs more review: evidence is incomplete, the content requires human judgment, or an exception is uncertain. Record what remains to be checked instead of treating it as a pass.
Why it matters
A logical focus sequence helps keyboard users understand where they are and operate the page. An unexpected jump can disconnect a control from its instructions, context, or related action.
Examples and distinctions
Form sequence
Move through a form in an order that keeps each input with its label and instructions and reaches the related submit action predictably.
Responsive layouts
A visual two-column layout does not automatically require one particular left-to-right focus order. The sequence must preserve the relationships and operation conveyed by the page.
Inserted dialogs or menus
When content opens, check that focus moves and returns in a way that keeps the triggering control and opened content understandable and operable.